The Hartford Courant announced Thursday it will begin charging customers for access to premium online content starting next week.

Hartford Courant Publisher Richard J. Daniels said in a statement that online readers with a paid digitalPLUS subscription will have unlimited access to the Courant's exclusive content, such as in-depth stories, investigative reporting, local sports commentary, columns, exclusive photos, databases and video, as well as access to Hartford Magazine & New Haven Living.

The Courant will continue to offer readers free access to all the day's breaking stories on various topics including crime, politics, sports, business and weather. The Hartford Courant Media Group's entertainment website, CTNow.com, will also remain open to all users. Premium content will be marked on the newspaper's website with a digitalPLUS symbol.

Seven-day subscribers to the print edition of the Courant will see little change. They will have unlimited access to courant.com as part of their print subscription but will need to link their print subscription to a digitalPLUS account. People who subscribe to the paper for part of the week will be offered a discounted subscription to digitalPLUS. Details on pricing were not released Thursday.

The Courant is the latest newspaper to undergo a transition from free online content to a business model that monetizes exclusive, original reporting. The New York Times, Boston Globe, The Day of New London and other papers all have versions of paid online subscriptions. In an email to Hartford Courant Media group employees, Daniels noted the trend is a recognition that "the model for supporting quality journalism has always leaned on a combination of revenue from advertisers and subscribers."

Those with a paid digital subscription will also receive a daily email with The Courant's digital replica edition of the printed newspaper, Daniels said.

Consumers who don't have a paid subscription will have free access to five digitalPLUS stories in each 30-day period if they register with the site. After the five free stories, readers will be prompted to buy a subscription to continue accessing exclusive content.

New Mobile App

As part of the company's digital strategy, the Courant will launch a new mobile app for iOS and Android that allows readers to create personalized content feeds based on their interests.

Articles that have been read will be colored gray, providing a visual cue to what is still unread. A "save for later" option will allow readers to create a list of content for future reading.

The app will also have a feature for users to send articles, photos and videos to Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks, as well as via e-mail or text messaging, with a tap of the finger.

The Courant's publisher, Daniels, said in a statement: "As many of you are aware, local, exclusive reporting is a cornerstone of our digital strategy at the Hartford Courant Media Group, as well as Tribune Publishing.

"The Hartford Courant has a local perspective and features you can't find anywhere else. To help capitalize on this and support our journalism, we are adopting a paid, premium content model on Tuesday, December 16th."

Quinnipiac University associate journalism professor Richard F. Hanley said the "paywall" model is becoming common as a way for traditional newspaper companies to cover their legacy costs, such as printing.

"You can't give it away for free forever," Hanley said. "But the Internet audience expects stuff for free. So the halfway point is the paywall."

"Quality journalism has always been supported by a combination of revenue from advertisers and subscribers," said a spokesperson for Hartford Courant Media Group.

"We are confident our readers will subscribe to maintain full access to all of our unique, in-depth local news and information, and we will continue to innovate in ways that provide those readers with the news they want and need - where and when they want it."